


Available to be Unavailable

by DarkFairytale



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Buck is a saint and everyone must know it, Eddie is King Oblivious, Family Feels, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Jealousy, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Pining, Pining Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Pre-Relationship, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, Sickfic, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:19:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24391948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkFairytale/pseuds/DarkFairytale
Summary: Buck skips out on a date to help out Eddie and Christopher. And Eddie hasfeelings.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 754





	Available to be Unavailable

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaand I'm back with another one. I cannot stay away from the C-U-T-E that is Buddie.
> 
> Warning for spoilers for all of Season 3, including the finale! All mistakes/errors are mine, if you see any glaring ones please let me know.

Eddie runs a stressed hand over his hair as he holds his phone to his ear. It takes just over thirty seconds for Buck to answer.

“Hey Eddie,” he says, his tone more serious than usual, and Eddie knows it’s because Buck knows that Eddie is currently covering a shift and wouldn’t be calling him unless it‘s for something important. “Are you ok? Is everyone ok? What’s up?”

“I’m alright, and so is the team,” Eddie promises, “Look, I’m really sorry to be calling you on your day off…”

“Eddie, it’s fine,” Buck interjects, not sounding inconvenienced in the slightest, “What do you need?”

Eddie sighs. He stops rubbing at his head to pinch the bridge of his nose instead, shutting his eyes for a moment as he tries to tune out the chaos behind him. “Christopher’s school just called me. He’s not feeling well and they think its best he went home.”

“Ok,” Buck says, easy as that, “Do you need me to come and take over your shift?”

“We’re actually on a call right now and it’s pretty crazy,” he forces himself not to glance back at the incident and get distracted by it; Bobby has allowed him to make the calls he needs to, but he knows he has to be quick about it. There‘s work to do. “I was wondering if you were able to pick him up and watch him until I’ve finished this shift. Carla’s away seeing family and I’m pretty sure Tia Pepa said she was taking Abuela to an appointment at some point today but if you’re not available that’s ok, I’ll call Pepa and see if they’ve already…”

“No need Eddie, it’s totally fine!” Buck insists, “I’m available! I’m actually pretty close to Christopher’s school right now. I can be there in less than twenty minutes.”

“You’re in town? Buck if you’re too busy…”

“Me? Too busy to miss out on an afternoon with Christopher? Nah. I’m never too busy for that.” Eddie knows how much Buck means it and it makes him smile despite everything on his mind. “Have the school said what’s up with him?” Buck asks.

“Stomach ache, a bit of a temperature.”

“I’ll get him cheered up in no time,” Buck vows, “We’ll see you at yours later.”

“I’ll call the school and let them know to expect you instead of me. Thank you, Buck. You’re a lifesaver. You really are.”

“Don’t mention it,” Buck says, like it’s no bother in the world, “I’ll give Christopher a hug from you and text you updates on how he’s feeling. See you later. Stay safe.”

Eddie finds himself feeling a little emotional. He puts it down to the stress he’s already been under today, since it’s barely 1pm, “I will. See you later Buck. Thanks again.”

Eddie ends the call and quickly contacts the school to expect ‘Evan ‘Buck’ Buckley’ to be picking up Christopher in his stead. Buck’s already listed as one of Christopher’s alternative emergency contacts and enough of the teachers are familiar with him that it shouldn’t be any bother.

And maybe the reminder of that - Buck always being so selfless and willing to help when it comes to Eddie and Christopher to the point that Chris' _school_ is familiar with Buck - makes Eddie feel some things, but he pushes it all down and high-tails it back to the team and his duties.

***

Eddie makes it home a few hours later. He drops his bag inside the door as soon as he enters, and tiredly follows the sounds of the TV into the lounge, where Buck and Christopher are curled up on the couch. Eddie’s heart swoops in that way he is having an increasingly harder time ignoring.

Buck turns to look at him as though automatically tuned to Eddie’s presence. “Hey Christopher,” Buck says softly, “Look who’s home.”

“Dad!” Christopher calls forlornly from the couch.

“Hey buddy,” Eddie feels himself deflate a little, heading straight to the couch and sitting down next to Christopher, who is pressed up against Buck’s side. He checks his son over, puts the back of his hand to Christopher’s forehead. He’s got a temperature, but not a worrying one. “How are you feeling?” He moves his hands to rest them on either side of Christopher’s jaw to tilt his face this way and that.

True to Buck’s word, Buck texted him updates sporadically throughout the rest of his shift, so Eddie already knows that Christopher has been doing a little better as the afternoon has gone on.

“Not great,” Christopher admits, a little miserably, and Eddie pulls a sympathetic face, pressing a kiss to his hair. But Christopher sounds a lot perkier when he tells him “But Buck made me sandwiches and we watched a movie!”

His nose still buried in his son’s hair, Eddie lifts his eyes to Buck’s. He moves back enough to ask “Did he?”

“Yeah!”

“What have you been watching?”

“The Incredibles!”

“Oh good choice,” Eddie smirks at Buck, because he knows Buck is a fan of that movie just as much as Christopher is, and may likely have swayed Christopher towards choosing it. 

“It was an _incredible_ choice,” Buck counters, making Christopher giggle. Buck grins at Eddie’s eye roll and hands the remote and Christopher’s weight over to Eddie, “Swap you,” he says, before he gets up from the couch and heads to the kitchen.

Eddie settles back into the couch and sighs, letting go of the day’s stresses as he runs his fingers comfortingly through Christopher’s hair.

Buck returns a minute later with a plate of sandwiches, a juice, two beers and a bowl of potato chips balanced in his hands and in the crook of his elbow.

“Here you go Christopher,” he says, handing him the juice and the chips. He passes the beer and plate of sandwiches to Eddie, “Made you some when we had ours earlier,” he says in response to Eddie's grateful look, sitting himself back down with his own beer and pinching a few chips from the bowl.

“What are we watching next Chris?” Eddie asks.

“The Incredibles 2!” Christopher requests with enthusiasm, “It’s an incredible choice!”

Buck grins over at Eddie as Christopher bursts into another fit of giggles.

“You’re a bad influence,” Eddie tells Buck fondly as he puts on the requested movie.

Buck just shrugs with that same pleased grin, like he’s happy to be any influence on Christopher at all and _dios_ , if that doesn’t make Eddie feel _more_ things.

It doesn’t take Eddie long to finish the sandwiches and by that time Christopher has fallen asleep against him. Eddie moves so that his arm is reaching above Christopher, along the back of the couch, and brushes his hand over Buck’s shoulder to get his attention.

“Thanks for today, for Christopher, for the sandwiches, for all of it,” Eddie thanks him quietly.

“Anytime, Eddie,” Buck smiles softly at him, “You know that.”

Eddie’s fingers seem to twitch of their own accord, the very tips of them gliding feather-light up Buck’s neck. Buck stares back at him, his lips parting a little, questioning eyes searching Eddie's face, and it’s verging on something too much, and so Eddie retracts his hand.

“I’d better get him to bed,” Eddie says.

“Yeah,” Buck seems to shake himself out of the quiet moment, “Yeah of course, I can wash the dishes and get going, leave you two to it.” He starts to get up off the couch, easing himself away from Christopher carefully so as not to wake him.

“You don’t have to do the dishes, Buck,” Eddie says. _You don’t have to get going, stay,_ Eddie swallows down. “I can do it.”

“Ok,” Buck smiles at him, but takes the empty bottles, plate and bowl anyway and takes them to the kitchen, placing them next to sink so that Eddie doesn’t have to retrieve them to wash them up or recycle them.

Eddie follows, having extracted himself from Christopher and gotten him into his arms. The fact that Christopher sleeps throughout all of it just shows how much energy this bug has knocked out of him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Buck smiles at him, grabbing his jacket from where he’d left it draped over one of the chairs. “Tell Christopher I said bye, and that I hope he feels better soon.”

“I’m sure he’s feeling a lot better already after an afternoon with his Buck,” Eddie tells him, and Buck ducks his head with such an endearing smile that Eddie is kind of glad he has Christopher in his arms to avoid reacting too obviously to it. “Thanks again, I owe you one.”

“Enough with the thanks and you don’t owe me anything. I love spending time with him, you know I do.” Buck reaches out and squeezes Eddie’s arm. “I’m always available for spending time with the Diaz boys,” his smile turns a little smaller, but it’s still soft, “Have a good night, Eddie. See you at work tomorrow.”

Eddie smiles back, “You too, Buck. Text me when you get home.”

Buck rolls his eyes, “Ok, Mom. Honestly you’re as bad as Bobby,” he grins teasingly, tongue between his teeth, and Eddie tries not to stare. “Yes, ok? I’ll text. First thing I’ll do when I get through the door.”

“Good,” Eddie says.

Later, when Christopher is tucked up in bed and Eddie’s back on the couch, attempting to decompress and not overthink that moment he and Buck shared, staring at his traitorous fingers, Buck texts to tell him he made it home, and ‘ _available for Incredible Diaz duties anytime’_. Eddie smiles, his face heating. He’s either caught Christopher’s temperature or it’s something else he cannot possibly consider too hard.

He goes to bed.

***

Eddie’s in the middle of cleaning one of the trucks when Maddie walks into the station.

“Hi Maddie,” he greets her, “How are you doing?”

“Hey Eddie,” she smiles warmly at him, “I’m doing good thank you - _we’re_ doing good, thank you!” her hand has drifted to her baby bump, just beginning to show.

And Eddie tries not to think how overwhelmingly adorable it will be to witness Buck holding his niece or nephew as he replies, “Glad to hear it. If it’s Chim you’re after, he was upstairs last I saw him.”

“Thanks Eddie,” she starts to move past him when she seems to have second thoughts, “Hey, by any chance has Buck mentioned why he bailed on his date last week?”

Eddie blinks, stunned, “He didn’t mention a date at all,” he admits, as his stomach does an uncomfortable turn, “Who was it with?”

Maddie appears surprised that he doesn’t know anything about it. “I put him in touch with a mutual friend of Josh’s that I’ve met once or twice. She’s really lovely and I thought she and Buck might hit it off. They were supposed to have lunch last week, but Buck left halfway through the meal saying there was an emergency at work,” she huffed, “He paid the bill before he left, with extra on the tab in case she wanted dessert or a coffee afterwards, which she said was super sweet of him. And I thought so too, but when I told Chim about it he said Buck wasn’t even in the station on Thursday so I have no idea why he bailed. He really hasn’t said anything to you?”

Eddie shakes his head, even as he starts to connect the dots, “Like I said, he hadn’t even mentioned he had a date in the first place. Sorry Maddie.”

“That’s ok,” Maddie shrugs, and pulls a fond face that seems to say ‘my brother eh?’, “Anyway, I’ll leave you to it.”

“See you later,” he smiles.

Lunchtime, Thursday last week; that was the day Christopher had been sick and Buck had looked after him. Eddie remembers that Buck had been in town when Eddie had called. Had Buck really been in the middle of a date when Eddie had called and then prioritised Christopher over his date?

It doesn't take him long to finish cleaning the truck and then go hunting Buck down for answers.

“Buck,” Eddie says, leaning against the wall as Buck puts down the weights he's been lifting. His skin is glistening with sweat and his shirt is sticking to him and Eddie kind of wishes he had waited until later to have this conversation. His attempt to ignore it and act normal makes his question come out more clipped and harsh than he means it to; “Did you walk out mid-date last week to look after Christopher?”

Buck winces, sheepish expression instantly falling into place, “Did Maddie tell you?”

“You told me you weren’t busy, Buck!” Eddie says, “If I knew you were on a date I wouldn’t have asked you! You didn’t have to drop everything! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t get why this is a big deal?” Buck frowns, “If I wanted to stay on the date I would have told you that I couldn’t pick him up.”

“You weren’t having a good time?” Eddie guesses. He feels guilty for ruining Buck’s date, and feels equally guilty for being relieved about it. It’s conflicting and only serves to put him even more on edge.

“It was going ok,” Buck admits with a shrug, “But it was a choice between making small talk with someone I was meeting for the first time, and helping out you and Christopher. It wasn’t a difficult choice to make.”

“I appreciate that Buck,” Eddie tells him, “I really do. But you had plans and you told me you didn’t! If I’d have known I wouldn’t have disturbed you!”

Buck’s expression hardens a little, and he looks taken aback for some reason. “Well,” he says shortly, watching Eddie closely, “It’s not like I can’t reschedule the date.”

Eddie bites his tongue from his automatic response to that. Of course Buck can reschedule the date if he wants to; it sounds like he and Josh’s friend parted on good terms despite Buck rushing off before the date was over. Even if Buck going on a date isn't what Eddie wants, he isn't about to stop Buck going on one if Buck wants to, not if he is finally testing the waters again after Abby and Ali. Just because Eddie's feeling _things_ about Buck, it doesn't mean that Buck is feeling those same things back. Eddie refuses to prevent Buck from finding happiness, even if it is with someone else, even if Eddie already knows seeing Buck with someone else will _hurt_. 

“No,” Eddie says eventually, “I suppose not.”

He thinks he sees Buck’s jaw tick, but Buck’s already moving to pick up the weights again, “I’ve been meaning to text her about it actually,” Buck says conversationally.

It sounds like Buck's prodding at something, but Eddie's too blindsided to rise to the bait. “Well,” he says instead, swallowing down the bitter protest that rises unbidden in his throat, “Tell me when it is next time, so I don’t interrupt another date.”

“Sure thing,” Buck says, not looking him in the eye anymore, his lips turned downwards.

And Eddie ignores the uncomfortable ache in his chest. He decides he is done feeling these _things_. He has to put a stop to them somehow, or else they will only grow, and…

Buck’s muscles are moving under his skin as he lifts the weights and being subjected to a sight like that without being able to touch is just entirely unfair.

Eddie retreats.

***

“Good morning Christopher!” Ana greets at the school gates. She’s on duty today until all the kids are in their classrooms, “Morning Eddie.”

“Ana,” he greets in return.

“Good morning Miss Flores,” Christopher smiles.

Eddie crouches to look at his son “Have a great day buddy.”

“Love you Dad.”

“Love you too, Christopher,” he says, giving Christopher a hug, “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“Yeah!” And with that Christopher turns and makes his way towards the building, one of his friends calling to him from across the school yard.

“I wanted to thank you,” Eddie says to Ana, “For sorting Christopher out last week when he wasn’t feeling well. He told me how nice you were with him.”

“Just doing my job,” she says, though she looks mightily pleased about Christopher’s positive feedback, and her response is so similar to something Buck might…Eddie stops _that_ thought in its tracks. “I’m surprised Christopher even remembers after he was so excited to find out Mr Buckley was picking him up.”

Eddie can’t help but smile at the thought, “Still, I appreciate it. I wondered if…” here goes nothing. If Buck is dating again, Eddie reckons maybe it’s time he should think about it too. “I wondered if I could thank you over drinks tonight?”

Ana blinks, looking surprised at first, but then flattered, “I’d like that. Is it a date?”

“Could be,” Eddie says, tentatively.

“You have my number,” she says, when the school bell rings, “Text me the details?”

“Sure,” Eddie says, “I guess I’ll see you later, then.”

“See you later, Eddie.”

***

Eddie doesn’t tell Buck about his scheduled date with Ana when he gets into work half an hour later. He isn’t sure why, but he doubts it’s for the same reasons Buck didn’t tell him about the one he went on last week.

Though to be honest, he doesn’t think Buck is up to hearing much of anything. His best friend looks tired, and as the day goes on Buck gets quieter and quieter, to the point that Hen calls him out on it during the ride back to the station after their latest call out.

“Buckaroo,” Hen says, “Your bounce has gone!”

Buck only hums in response, and Eddie starts to worry a little.

He finds out what’s going on not much later, when Buck makes a pitiful sound and Eddie looks up just as Buck drops onto the station couch beside him.

“What’s up?” he asks.

“I think I’m coming down with what Christopher had,” Buck groans, closing his eyes and pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes.

Eddie wastes no time in moving Buck’s hands aside and replacing them with his own, automatically using the same methods he uses on Christopher; fingers against Buck’s jaw to inspect him, the back of his hand against his forehead to test his temperature. Buck does feel too warm. He doesn’t realise quite what he’s doing until he finds Buck watching him with slightly hazy blue eyes, lips parted with that same searching question.

“You do feel overly warm,” Eddie admits, feeling guilty, “Sorry Buck.”

Buck groans again and slumps into Eddie’s side, closing his eyes as he rests his head on Eddie’s shoulder. “Respect to Chris for handling it better than I am,” he grumbles.

Eddie shifts until they are both more comfortable and picks up the nearest magazine in reach. It’s only fair that he act as a pillow, he figures, since Buck has more than likely picked this bug up from his kid.

Half an hour later the siren goes and Bobby comes out of his office to find Buck waking up with a start from Eddie’s shoulder and wincing at the volume of the siren.

“Buck, are you ok?” Bobby asks, "You look terrible."

“I think he’s come down with what Christopher had last week,” Eddie admits.

“It’s ok,” Buck sits himself up a little with what looks like a ton of effort, “I can…”

“No you can’t,” Bobby corrects, successfully pushing Buck back down against Eddie with the absolute opposite amount of effort, “You boys have nearly finished your shifts anyway. Sit this one out, and finish on time. Make sure he gets home alright, Eddie?”

“You got it, Cap.”

“Alright,” Bobby nods approvingly, and it goes to show from Buck’s lack of protest at missing a call just how under the weather he’s feeling, “I hope you feel better soon, Buck.”

Buck makes a sad sound, “Me too, Cap.”

Bobby smiles at them, in a fatherly fond way, before wasting no further time in heading down to the trucks. As soon as he’s out of sight Buck goes boneless again, head landing on Eddie’s shoulder once more.

Eddie turns his head to press his nose into Buck’s hair. “You feeling no better?” he asks sympathetically.

“No,” Buck complains sleepily.

“If it’s what Christopher had then I’m sor…”

“Then I’d catch it all over again,” Buck interjects, so easily, always so easily, and Eddie relaxes back again, squeezing Buck’s shoulder.

“If you’ve got that date rescheduled for tonight you might need to cancel it,” Eddie says quietly, apologetically.

“I never messaged her,” Buck mumbles.

Eddie frowns, “You didn’t?”

“No,” Buck shifts a little, and then a lot, until he’s lying on the couch, his head landing in Eddie’s lap, “I’ve decided I’m not emotionally available.” He sounds more asleep by the second.

“You’re not?” Eddie asks, silently sending bad vibes over to Abby, wherever she is, for knocking Buck’s confidence and feelings all over again.

“No,” Buck says, his hand seeking out Eddie’s, and then says something that has Eddie stunned; “See there’s this cute guy and his really adorable kid…” Buck doesn’t need to say any more. In fact, he doesn’t say anything at all. He appears to have drifted off in Eddie’s lap, their fingers still woven together.

Eddie fights a smile, but doesn’t even try to fight the wave of feelings that builds and crests, like it’s finally allowed now he knows for sure that Buck feels the same.

With his free hand Eddie finds himself immediately scrolling through his phone contacts.

“Hey Eddie,” Ana says when she answers the call, “You ok?”

“Yeah I’m good,” Eddie replies, “I’m really good. Thank you. I just needed to call because...well, I’m sorry but I think I’m going to have to cancel our drinks tonight. Something’s come up - something important - and I don’t…I don’t think I’m going to be available anymore.”

Ana doesn’t even sound surprised when she asks “Is that ‘not available’ meaning that you’re unavailable just for tonight? Or that you’re unavailable all-together?”

Eddie glances down to Buck dozing on his lap, and how beautiful he is, and doesn’t try to hold back the smile that curls the corner of his mouth. He runs his thumb softly over the back of Buck’s hand.

“The second one,” he says, “Look I’m really sorry for messing you around, I just…I had some major realisations today.”

“If it has anything to do with who I am thinking it might, then I can only say it’s about time,” is all Ana says, “Don’t worry about it Eddie, really. I’m happy for you. And I hope to see you both at the school’s international event next week. Remember Christopher has already got you signed up to bring churros.”

“Oh,” Eddie blinks, “Right, yeah, churros, definitely something I can do.” Definitely _not._ “I really am sorry about...”

“Don’t be,” she dismisses.

“I do still want to thank you for Christopher last week, though,” because Ana is a good person and Eddie still wants to be friends with her if he can, “I can buy you an international dish of your choice at the event next week?”

“Sure, I’ll hold you to that,” she says, “See you next week.”

She ends the call and Eddie places his phone down on the arm of the couch. He ponders what it will take to convince his Abuela to make a batch or two of churros as his hand drifts to Buck’s hair, scratching softly as Buck shifts and buries himself closer into Eddie with a contented sigh.

***

It turns out taking Buck with him and Christopher to Abuela’s that weekend to reintroduce Buck to her as his boyfriend is all it takes to get Abuela delightedly pinching their cheeks and making enough churros to feed Christopher’s whole class and the whole of the 118. 

Eddie steals a couple while they are cooling and after he and Buck are shooed off like naughty children by Abuela, to Christopher’s raucous laughter, they take them to the back porch to snack on them.

“Hey I just thought,” Buck says, licking his fingers clean and distracting Eddie rather _a lot,_ “The next time someone on a call asks if either of us are single, we can both say we’re unavailable and actually mean it.”

Eddie pulls Buck in by the collar of his shirt for a kiss and Buck comes willingly, tasting of churros and smiles.

“Too right we’re unavailable,” Eddie growls playfully against Buck’s lips and Buck laughs softly before he moves back in to kiss Eddie again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Comments, kudos and bookmarks are truly loved and appreciated.
> 
> Thanks also to everyone that has read and reacted to 'Falling but already Fallen' and 'Mr July'. If you've left comments I'm going to be replying to them asap, promise!


End file.
